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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

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willy
Captain

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USA
422 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2009 : 11:41:32

Frank,
While the obvious exponential increase in maintanance costs...haul out & stands and boatyard storage rather than trailer pull and backyard certainly came into play, one of the big reasons I chose the 250WB was the extremely shallow draft I needed to access parts of the bay where I sail!
Willy

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2009 : 14:03:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Nautiduck
 Frank, have you considered renting a C30... <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
When I worked in Redondo Beach last year for a week, there were dozens and dozens of Catalinas in the marina there. I bet you could just crew on one of those boats any day you choose. You gotta try it out, before deciding. A chap near me singlehands a C-42, by the way.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2009 : 18:36:03

Why buy a Olson 30 or J27 - 30? Single Handed Transpac baby!

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4303 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2009 : 20:57:53

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 You could always go for an '89-'90 C25.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">There you go! Manageable, still an outboard, and with a nicer ride in the ocean. I suspect it also sails better on genny alone (with the mast further aft), for really relaxed sailing in blustery conditions. I think the headroom is at least 5'10" before the pop-top goes up (making a shaded but open-air 6'5").
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I'm 5' 11" and I have to stoop just a little in my '89. I've never had the pop-top up on mine but I did once on an '83 and I would guess the headroom would be near 6' 5".

I've sailed my boat on both the 110 and 150 (mostly the 150) alone and the boat handles great! For me it's seems like it's easier to handle solo in windy conditions. Mainly because there's one less sail and associated sheets/halyards to deal with. I'd do it all the time but it seems like the main helps reduce weather helm a bit.

I've seen 5.5 knots on the GPS with just the genoa!

Edited by - on

MartinJW
Navigator

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USA
241 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2009 : 19:34:41

I'm not sure I'm addressing your specific issue, but, for whatever it's worth, here was our reasoning:

(1) We'd been sailing our Catalina 18 on Lake Tahoe for periods up to a week or so at a time. We loved being on the lake, but the C-18 was WAY too small for this. We'd spend lots and lots of time juggling cooking gear, sleeping bags, swim toys, the portable toilet... every time we wanted to sleep or cook or anchor or, say, actually sail. Also, it was not very easy to invite others out on the boat when we were "backyard cruising" like this. So, we wanted a boat that had (a) some sort of "real" galley, (b) a toilet that was somehow enclosed, (c) some sort of sleeping set up that we didn't have to convert from other usage each night, (d) a roomy cockpit in which 4+ adults could sail or relax. A big foredeck for lounging would be nice, but this was really a luxury desire, not an absolute requirement. The C-22 nearly met our specifications, but the C-250 really fit. Also, the boat needed to reasonably accomodate two adults and possibly 1 or 2 children (in the future). Again, the C-22 was a so-so match, but the C-250 was great for our purposes.

(2) Our priorities were: #1 convenience, #2 comfort, #3 safety; sailing performance didn't really enter into the equation at all. The C-250 is a pretty good fit.

(3) We also wanted to buy a new boat, since buying a used boat has been, at least for us, an unbearable ordeal. Besides, every time we've bought a new boat, we've been able to re-sell it in a few years and recover 100% of our original investment. (We're pretty compulsive about taking good care of our boats.) The only nearby sailboat dealer (Sailing Ventures, Tahoe, NV/CA) sells Catalinas, we'd already had good luck with him and two previous Catalinas, so we bought another. In fact, although we live in a small town, the Catalina dealer is only about 20 miles away, which is very convenient. If we'd had lots more money, the C-270 or C-280 would have been nice. (The C-270 would have been roughly TWICE the cost of our C-250, and I don't even know the price on a C-280.) Bottom line: the C-250 was the biggest boat we could afford. Also, now that we're sailing a "big" boat, I'm not sure that we could reasonably handle a 27' or 28' or larger boat safely and conveniently. In retrospect, I think that the bigger boat would have been WAY more work, but only a little bit more fun.

(4) Oh yeah, we really needed to be able to reasonably trailer the boat, if only twice a year. The weather and costs associated with leaving a boat in the water year 'round were prohibitive for us. The C-250 is easily towed behind our full-sized Chevy pickup.

Thanks for reminding all of us why we're doing this!

Martin

Edited by - MartinJW on 03/01/2009 19:46:14

AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2009 : 17:15:13

Thank you, Martin, for reinforcing my decision to stay with PRETTY PENNY. As to a C-30, best to have C-30 friends and crew mates. Or be a slip partner and split the slip fee. Probably end up being less expensive than owning and maintaining an old used one.

Edited by - on

AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 03/24/2009 : 00:08:28

"I've reasons to love my 250... passionately. I don't think you do and that is not a negative reflection whatsoever... it is simply a matter of the 250 being designed for my needs, not yours."

Arlyn, I love my PRETTY PENNY, too, but I/we need to step up a notch. I've decided to find a late 1980's C-27 with inboard diesel and a tiller helm. As almost the original owner of PP, it'll be a bit wrenching to part with her, but needs are needs, and wants are wants.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 03/25/2009 : 21:24:27

Frank, I saw a newer Catalina 310 for sale in Long Beach on the classified section of BoatUS. I am willing to go halfseas(sp)!!

Steve A

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